Abstract
Theories have proposed that visual working memory representations of objects are maintained by a spatial rehearsal mechanism. To test this hypothesis we used two different approaches. First, we tracked observers‘ eye movements during a change-detection task with memory arrays of one, three, or six objects. During the blank retention interval subjects shifted gaze to the locations the objects previously occupied in the memory-sample array benefiting task performance. Second, we tested the hypothesis that drawing attention away from the object locations during the retention interval would impair memory for the objects. We confirmed this hypothesis using a concurrent fixation probe detection task during the retention interval. These findings support models in which object representations are maintained by spatial mechanisms.